I wanted to keep you informed of my efforts to represent you and all New Yorkers living in New York's Tenth Congressional District.
Time is Now for Sanctioning Iran's Non-nuclear, Illicit Behavior
Two weeks ago, I wrote an Op-Ed on the implementation of the Iran deal and the importance of ensuring there is accountability for bad behavior – a version of which was published in CNN and the New York Jewish Week. As I have argued since announcing my decision, the agreement must be judged on the central question of whether it will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, as that is the core purpose of the deal and the key to stopping Iran from becoming an existential threat. I have said consistently that, while not the subject of the deal, Iran’s continuing sponsorship of terrorism and human rights abuses, the instability it spreads across the region, and the explicit threats it continues to make against the United States and Israel are unacceptable, and that our failing to take punitive action when we determine that they break international laws would be extremely problematic and dangerous. I believe that, if implemented properly, the JCPOA will prevent the development of an Iranian nuclear bomb for the foreseeable future. But the existence of the deal does not relieve us of the obligation not only to insist on its complete and proper implementation, but also, separately, to confront and counter Iran’s other non-nuclear terrible behavior. That is why I joined my colleagues—Reps. Nita Lowey, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Eliot Engel, Albio Sires, Gerry Connolly, and Susan Davis—in a letter addressed to President Obama calling for punitive sanctions in response to Iran’s recent violations of UN Security Council resolutions by test-firing ballistic missiles in October and November 2015. Despite our differences of opinion with respect to the JCPOA, we all share the same desire to see that it is enforced vigilantly, to prevent Iran from ever developing nuclear weapons, and to counter Iran’s other illicit actions.
The House Majority's Motto is “If You Fail to Defund Planned Parenthood Once, Try, Try, Try, Try……. Try Again.”
In their latest vote to defund Planned Parenthood, which President Obama vetoed, the House Majority have declared the verdict against Planned Parenthood before ever holding the trial. I believe that without a shred of evidence, aside from a series of blatantly manipulated, possibly-illegal videos, without a single House Committee finding any wrongdoing, and without the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives – ostensibly set up to look into Planned Parenthood – holding a single meeting, Republicans have decided to cut off all federal funding for the organization.
The legislation, which I voted against, to defund Planned Parenthood targets one organization and cuts it off from all federal funding, including reimbursement for services provided, for no justifiable legislative reason beyond punishment for offering a constitutionally-protected medical procedure. That smacks of a clearly unconstitutional bill of attainder.
The prohibition on bills of attainder exists to prevent just this kind of targeted attack on a single group; you cannot use legislation to punish a single organization without any evidence, or a fair legislative process, simply because you don’t agree with them. While the legislation never mentions the words “Planned Parenthood,” I believe we heard Planned Parenthood’s name over and over again from the Republicans while debating this measure. No one can say they are not directly targeting one organization.
I believe the longer the House majority keeps up this pretense in order to stoke the flames with their inflammatory rhetoric, the longer it will put patients and providers at risk. Bullet proof glass and safe rooms should not be necessary for women to access basic health care like cancer screenings or contraception. But if this farcical attack on Planned Parenthood doesn’t stop, that will be the norm for women around the country.
This charade must stop, and it must stop now.
For The President's Last Year in Office, He Should Address....
On Tuesday, before the last State of the Union of President Obama's Presidency, I published an op-ed in The Hill newspaper outlining issues I believe the president should address in his speech and during his last year in office. Here is an excerpt from the op-ed:
“Throughout his administration, this President has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to the protection and promotion of equality, presiding over a period in which we have made historic strides advancing the rights of all Americans. The repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, women’s reproductive healthcare covered under the ACA, and marriage equality in all 50 states. This is a legacy President Obama can be proud of, but the work is not done and more is needed to help address the struggles of working families and eliminate discrimination across the country. If we are to continue delivering real solutions and ensure equality and protection for every American, pushing Congress to take up the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act legislation and the Equality Act is an easy first step.”
The President's Executive Actions to Reduce Gun Violence
As the epidemic of gun violence continues to rage in America, I am proud to support the president's recent executive actions to curtail mass shootings in our country. Since the tragedy at Sandy Hook in 2012, the announcement of yet another massacre has now become so routine that we are almost numb to the horror of each terrible event, to the lives lost and the broken communities left to pick up the pieces.
Each year, 30,000 people have their lives ended by guns and still Congress has done nothing. Although we have just three percent of the world’s population, the U.S. has 90 percent of the world’s firearm homicides; making Americans 20 times more likely to be killed by gun violence than people in any other developed country. Again, Congress refuses to address the issue. More Americans have died from guns in the United States since 1968 than on battlefields of all the wars in American history.[1] I believe that despite this horrific toll, Congress has steadfastly refused to enact even minimal safety measures, such as enhanced background checks, that 90% of the American public supports.
Faced with continued Congressional inaction, President Obama has been forced to use every tool at his disposal, limited though they may be. Among the President’s actions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will double the number of investigators conducting background checks on gun purchasers and require more gun dealers to obtain a federal permit before they can sell guns to the public. Again, I applaud the president for his actions because they are better than doing nothing. But if we truly want to end the epidemic of gun violence in our country, it remains up to the Congress to pass common sense gun control legislation.
